We’re happy to announce that the Zenkaikon 2014 room block at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square is now open for booking! This beautiful hotel is right upstairs from the Lancaster County Convention Center, so it’s only a short elevator ride to all the fun of Zenkaikon!

Rooms are available from Thursday, April 24, 2014 through Monday, April 28, 2014 for $124 per night (plus applicable taxes). For attendees driving in, we’ve also negotiated a reduced parking rate of $6 day in the adjacent garage.

We’re happy to welcome back Karl “Uncle Yo” Custer for his seventh Zenkaikon, and as the first announced guest for Zenkaikon 2014!

Karl “Uncle Yo” Custer has been a staple at Zenkaikon for the past six years, having started his side career as a geek-specific stand-up comedian here back at Valley Forge. An old-school New Yorker, Yo has appeared in several web series including “Dragon-Bored” and “The Justice Lease.” Yo’s weekly podcast, “We are the Geek” is centered around the convention Fan-lebrity and explores the geek’s roles in today’s culture. For shows, jabs and details, visit his website: www.uncleyo.com.

We are happy to welcome voice actress and director Brina Palencia as our second announced guest for Zenkaikon 2014!

Brina Palencia is an actress working in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. She has voiced numerous characters for anime and video games. Some of her anime highlights include Natsuki in Summer Wars, Chibitalia in Hetalia, Ciel Phantomhive in Black Butler, Holo in Spice & Wolf, Yumi Azusa in Soul Eater, Sora in Oh Edo Rocket, Rei Ayanami in Evangelion 1.0 and 2.0, Chiaotzu and Puar in Dragon Ball Kai, Juliet in Romeo x Juliet, Miharu in Nabari No Ou, Tony Tony Chopper in One Piece, Tamama in Sgt. Frog, Ennis in Baccano, Mikoto in School Rumble, Georgie in Shin Chan, Eve in Black Cat, Moro and Zashikiwarashi in xxxHolic.

Did you know? Pre-registration for is open! Pre-register for a Zenkaikon membership to attend our annual convention on April 25-27, 2014 at the Lancaster County Convention Center!

By pre-registering, you will get a discount on your membership and have faster check-in at the convention. Pre-registered members will also be able to pick up their badges on Thursday evening, so they can start enjoying the convention the minute it opens on Friday!

Through September 16th, you can pre-register for a discounted rate of $40.

Zenkaikon Artist Alley Registration will open at 10:00pm on Tuesday, July 16, 2013.

Artist Alley is a great place for both amateur and professional artists to showcase their work and original merchandise. Artist Alley merchandise traditionally includes fan art prints, manga, models, paintings, and novelty crafts, but is limited only by your imagination. Many artists take custom commissions during the convention.

Want to help us make Zenkaikon 2014 the best one yet? Zenkaikon is looking for enthusiastic, dedicated staff to help us celebrate our eighth annual convention! Applications are available for multiple departments, so if you’ve been interested in learning about the inner workings of a convention, now is a perfect chance! Zenkaikon staff are volunteers who work at the convention and help out throughout the year. For a commitment of at least 24 hours of volunteering during the convention, there are many benefits for staffing (including food and crash space during the event). If you are 18 years or older and want to learn more, check out our Staffing page!

So many updates! Lots of guests and other announcements. But first, one of the most urgent: Zenkaikon will be hosting a special screening of the anime film "Wolf Children" on Thursday November 7th at 7:30pm at the Landmark Ritz at the Bourse in Philadelphia and we need your help!

This special screening is powered by Tugg in association with FUNimation Entertainment, but will only happen if all tickets are reserved by the deadline of October 31st! That's where YOU come in ~_^ Don't miss your chance to see this Japan Academy Prize-winning anime film on the big screen, and help us spread the word! Hope to see you there!

Synopsis of the film: Wolf Children is a staggeringly beautiful animated feature film from director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars). This epic cinematic achievement follows Hana, a woman who falls in love with a Wolf Man and gives birth to two half human, half wolf children. After the tragic death of her beloved, Hana seeks refuge in rural town where she attempts to build a life for herself and her children.

We are excited to welcome the prolific voice actor and singer Jim Cummings to Zenkaikon 2014!

During his illustrious career, Mr. Cummings has worked extensively for the Walt Disney Studios voicing classic characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, King Louis, Kaa the Snake, Pete (formerly peg legged Pete), and more. His many other credits include Darkwing Duck, Bonkers, Fat Cat and Monterey Jack on Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Don Kamage on Tailspin, Dingo in Gargoyles, Ed in The Lion King, and too many others to mention here. He was the only actor to appear in every animated series produced by Disney during the 90s.

Cummings has done scores of voices for Warner Bros, as well, including Taz the Tazmanian Devil himself, Steven Spielberg’s Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman, Pinky and the Brain, Tazmania, Duck Dodgers, and more. Other credits include The Powerpuff Girls (Fuzzy Lumpkins), Sonic the Hedgehog (Dr. Robotnik), King of the Hill, Bump in the Night, Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, The Replacements, The Addams Family, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Simpsons, Barnyard, and Catdog.